Dream Hacking

A new investigative device called Dormio could someday be used to alter our dreams. The method is based on the fact that the brain is highly impressionable. Even when we’re awake, it’s difficult not to turn our thoughts to an object when it’s suggested (e.g., “visualize an elephant standing on one leg”), but during certain sleep states the effect is even more powerful.

Dormio consists of a sensor glove that tracks changes in muscle tone, heart rate and skin conductance, all of which are indicators of changes in sleep state. The signals are analyzed continuously, and when a transitional stage is detected, an audio cue partially wakes the user, planting a mental image that will appear in his or her dream. In a study of 50 subjects, those who used Dormio to foster dreams about trees scored higher on follow-up creativity tests related to trees than those who slept normally or didn’t sleep at all.

The developers see Dormio as a way to help people retrieve memories and develop solutions to problems that our waking minds may not be able to access. Other potential areas of study might include nightmare therapy, treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and accelerated learning.